Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1887-07-22

Construction and Interior Arrangement Of
the Nomnd's Only Home.

fect wide, and five or six feet high. Ihf
consists Of long. stou;
center-piece Of oak, through which, 10
either direction, pass the ends Of omar
ter-circle hickory bows, the other ends |
of which fit In the sockets Of oakcn pegs
driven into the earth Over this frame
work, which no ordinary storm could
displace b. weaken. Is tightly drawn
wooden stuff resembling cur own old |
fashioned, -homespun woolen sheets.
There Is not 4 stitch taken anywhere.
You will see these wooden spreads |
fastened together By dainty hickory i
skcwers. pointed and polished as
farmers wcll-uscd husking-pin. The
rear end is always tightly covered. but
the front is always open. The floor
Of the tent is usually covered with a
generous depth Of clean straw, over
which are commonly seen bits Of sail
cloth or carpets and many blankets:
but If the camp Is where such trees
abound, they will give place to branches |
Of the larch, pine or cedar, whose aroma
the Gypsies dearly love.
The interior Of this little brown home
nest In the woods Ia something Of
study. The rear portion. consisting Of
about four feet Of space running across
the tent, is sacred to the valuables Of
the family, which are bestowed at head
and foot Of this remotest couch. always
occupied by the husband and wife.
This Is separated from another bed by
old shawls or blankets, or sometimes By
gay curtaining. In the latter bed the
girls pass the night, and between their
apartment and another at the tent
mouth is more drapery. In the outer
division are packed the old men and
women, the boys and the dogs. This
arrangement is preserved, varying only
as the size Of each family may differ,
even If its head may be 50 prosperous
as to own q handsome wagon especially
built for the road. Even In this case the
owner and his belongings will more fire.
| quently be found In the loved tent upon
| the as dearly loved ground From
the stout tent-bows depend the fam
| ily's all-ssrts, from bits Of ribbon and
innumerable articles Of apparel to
poultry and extra pots and kettles.
| Each Of these articles Is oftener
tied in Its place by slender willow
thong than with string, for the Gypsy is
hereditarily as deft at all use of the
witty, fragrant osier AS is the sailor
with the sturdy, odorous rope. Arti-
cles of toilet are scant among the bijou-
terie of the tent. But the Gypsy woman
or girl, while neat and sweet about her
person, has come to know many little
tricks OF adornment. where waving
fold, or def tuck, Or an airy tilt OF
the hair OF scarf, stands her In good
stead in the place OF bandoline, batting
and fiummery OF the social female pre-
tender, who, with all her perking and
primping, can never attain her Gypsy
sisters ingenious righteousness. Bu
two toilet articles can never be found
These arc common property. They arr
the coarse comb and the cheap looking
glass. The former does good service
. on the horses tails. The latter. Will,
eve,ybody's who wants it, is the Gyps,
, woman's only shrine | can give n,
reason for it, but never yet saw mir
ror larger than ones hand among thes
people; never was an unbroken on
seen among them; and the universe
affair of this sort seems to be a bit @
broken looking-glass caught across it
!. sharp angles by thorn-likc skewers
" and thus fastened to the wooden stuff {
), the brown tent-covers.
When you remember that this lit'l
= tent is the Gypsy's home, rs much q
6 YOUR own habitation is yours, and ha
IS been bis home since his race was Dor
in the night of the centuries, you ca
easily come into partial recognitio
l. Of the race feeling of attachment to an
e sentiment In it. Indeed, this is n,
! going far enough. l believe 1t trr
9, throughout all the world that IL
smaller the home-acre, the home-el
vironment--in fact, the home-nest itse
the dearer 1t is to those who live an
- love in it. In this compact fact M
sense the Gypsy ever glows in restf
10 enjoyment. There is tender. lovir
and almost pathetic encompassing
tnc iiltIS >pot Win MS 'ciy S'Sst ~
" heart which am sure am not deceive
ne about. It's very daintincss and onene
,e, and littleness are all within his |
I'd slant vision. comprehension, protecto
~ Hence it becomes part of him. and
IS him so sacred part, that there Is !
ad mere use of expecting the snobbi
he dwcller in n modern American ''esta
an lishiaent' to admit the existence of Sill
Ip- sentiment, than there is in expectil
him and his good lady" who are ne
en- in a palace and read the Sunday pape
ey- regularly, to admit that they start
an out In life In one room, on knuck
tty bone sup, at six dollars per week.
are But sven in language only pl
list served from lip to lip in memory, a
iys whose possessors are too Ignorant
en- comprehend its or their own orig
IL there still remain from the imagery
an almost barbaric heart-lore many I
ate pressions Of most poetic form and fe
OIL ing. These tell how closely knit ii
te the very life-fber of the Gypsy
o os been the aspiration to make his tc
% home the symbol of all dearest a
II, best to him-Edgar L. Wn&emaa,
a. Chicago Neps.
he j. w. Holton, of New HAY